Love is Blind, Blind is Love
by Picklewinkle
Summary: Bella challenges Edward to a game of cards and the stakes are not like any other game they've ever played. RATED M. Post Breaking Dawn.


**A/N: **This is an entry for the January fanfiction contest at the LJ community lion_lamb. It's a one shot. End of story. Bask in the after glow people.

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BPOV  
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"You are such a cheater Emmett," I yelled, throwing my cards at him.

"You just hate losing Bella," Emmett razzed condescendingly.

"I don't know why you still play against him Bella," Rosalie called from the living room with a toss of her long golden hair. "No one can beat him, not even Edward."

"I can beat him," Edward charged, "if he doesn't cheat."

"I don't cheat," Emmett declared with a confident smirk. "You've just got sour grapes because you can't use your 'gift' while we play. I told you I'd find something that would render that mind reading shit worthless."

"You wish," Edward scoffed. "But since you can't win at anything else I'll let you _think_ you can beat me at cards."

"Bring it on Edward," Emmett dared.

"I would, but Bella and I have plans tonight. Maybe another time," Edward offered flippantly.

"Bella wouldn't mind if you played another few hands, would you Bella?" Emmett stared at me with a desperate beseeching glare. I could tell he really wanted to play Edward and I really didn't care if we went to the movies.

"It's up to Edward, Emmett. He's welcomed to play if he wants to."

"No Bella, our plans." Edward reached for my hands and scooped them into his, searching my eyes.

"I don't mind Edward. It won't take you long to beat him," I smirked. Edward shot me my favourite crooked grin.

"You're on Emmett," he declared, taking a seat across from Emmett.

I watched them play four hands of Texas hold'em - so much for Edward winning quickly. Emmett seemed to have an advantage over Edward's gift by utilizing the community cards although I suspect he was using some other strategy to keep Edward out of his head, maybe by focusing on a card he didn't have to keep Edward from seeing his hole cards. During the second round Emmett must have slipped and thought of his cards because I could practically feel Edward's smile it was so big. They had agreed on one last hand and it all came down to this. In a showdown, Edward landed up taking the hand, beating Emmett's pair with two pairs.

"Like candy from a baby," Edward teased, sweeping the pot towards his body while openly gloating at Emmett.

"You cheated," Emmett grumbled.

"Emmett, no offense, but Texas hold'em is a game of strategic analysis…not exactly your forte," Edward crowed smugly.

"If you'd just turn it off for a second Edward we'd see who the better card player really is!"

"It doesn't turn off Emmett, you know that. Besides, you just have…what's the expression?" he grinned. "Sour grapes?"

Edward smiled condescendingly at Emmett and Emmett shoved his chair away from the table and stalked off with a pout, mumbling about cheating and next time.

"You really should try not to cheat Edward," I scolded jokingly. "Poor Emmett needs to win at something."

"I'll go check on the big baby," Rosalie informed us on her way through the room. "And you really shouldn't cheat Edward."

"You and Emmett are just bitter that your gifts don't give you any advantage over me."

Rosalie shot him an angry glare and disappeared.

"Well your smugness has managed to clear the room," I noted.

"I'd rather be alone with you anyway," Edward smirked.

"I'm sure that's exactly why you beat him," I teased.

"Definitely," Edward agreed, pulling me into his lap. "What do you say you and I go back to the cottage? It's not every day that we have complete privacy."

"That's true," I agreed. Renesmee was with Alice and Jasper on an overnight trip to Seattle with Carlisle and Esme. We were one hundred percent alone for the entire evening.

"Unless you had your heart set on the movie?" he inquired thoughtfully. I thought I could sense a tiny bit of petulance in his voice.

"Is my husband feeling a little impatient tonight?" I teased.

He pressed his lips into my shoulder and kissed his way along my collarbone. "I'm always impatient for you Bella."

I slid off his lap and picked up his hand, pulling him towards the door with a smile. "I have an idea to make things more fun," I informed him.

He eyed me suspiciously.

"Don't worry Mr. Impatience," I laughed, "you'll get what you want soon enough. I just thought we could take advantage of our privacy in a different way."

"How's that?" he asked, holding the door open for me.

I walked out onto the porch. "How do you feel about a bet?" I wondered, grinning evilly.

"A bet?"

"Yes…sexual favours."

"Bella!" he scolded with mock disapproval.

"Hey," I shrugged, "you were the one who said you wanted to take me back to the cottage and pointed out we were alone for the night. I just wanted to make sure we'd have something fun to do."

"Is that a dare?" he questioned. "Or are you saying we don't normally have fun?"

"I'm just trying to keep things between us interesting."

"Well I'll try not to take that as a complaint about your sexual satisfaction," he frowned. "But you have my attention."

I pulled him by the hand, anxious to get back to the cottage. "Well come on then slowpoke," I goaded.

"Isabella Cullen, are you trying to seduce your husband?"

"Maybe," I admitted impishly, "or maybe I'm trying to get you to seduce me."

"You act as if you have to twist my arm," he accused, pulling my body to his in a swift sweeping motion.

"Not at all. Like I said, I just thought it would be fun to take advantage of our privacy and spice things up a bit."

He pulled me through the door and closed it behind us. "Ok. We're here," he announced, stating the obvious. "What's your game?"

"One hand of poker…"

"Bella that's hardly a game," he chided.

"Winner names the sexual favour and the loser can't touch the winner."

"What?" Edward's eyes were wide with shock. I grinned at him.

"What?" I giggled.

"Is that all?" he asked disbelievingly.

"No," I admitted, biting my lip and looking up at him with innocent eyes.

"What else?"

"A blindfold."

"Who are you and what have you done with my wife?" he teased.

"You're just sullen because you can't make me blush any longer."

"I do miss your flushed cheeks," he admitted. "But I wouldn't change our life for anything."

"So what do you say?" I wondered. "Are you up for it?"

"Yes, on one condition," he agreed.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"You can't sulk when you lose. You know I'm a much better card player than you."

"No you didn't," I shrieked. "You did not just call me out…tsk, tsk, tsk Edward, always so smug and sure of yourself. This is the time for change mister, and when you lose, you're going to have to be a big boy and behave yourself."

"I'm not worried," he gloated.

I tossed the box of cards across the table at him. "Neither am I…now deal!"

I watched his long fingers remove the cards from the box and shuffle them adeptly in his hands. Edward was showing off but I didn't care. It was fun to watch him having a good time flipping and shuffling and spinning the cards between his hands. He laid the deck face down on the table and I cut the cards. He finished the shuffle and looked up at me.

"What are we playing?"

"Texas hold'em," I smirked.

He flashed me his crooked grin. "That anxious to lose?" he needled wilfully.

"Anxious for one of us to lose," I retorted. "Just deal, big mouth." I don't know why I was so confident. I was terrible at cards but the one advantage I had over Emmett was that Edward's gift really was useless butted up against mine in a game of cards, so it was as fair a game of cards as Edward would ever play. Beyond that I had to hope for fate to intervene and set up the cards in my favour. I'd been a good girl, so I was counting on it. Besides, if I lost it just meant that my husband would pleasure me all night. Not such a tough thing to endure.

I peeked at the cards lying face down in front of me, averting my eyes from Edward's intense stare. He was trying to psyche me out and read my face because he knew I was a horrible liar.

"I can't switch out these cards right?" I inquired. I knew I couldn't but I figured I would lay it on a bit thick for the sake of drama.

"No darling," he smirked.

"And I have to have five cards, right?"

"Yes darling." He chuckled lightly.

"Ok, I'm ready," I smiled.

"How could you be ready already?"

I tapped my temple with my finger. "I've got it all up here."

"And you're sure you understand the rules?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, what do you have?"

He pulled the two of clubs from the community cards and flipped one of his hole cards with the edge of it, exposing a two of hearts.

"Two of a kind?" I noted casually.

Then he pulled the seven of diamonds from the community cards and laid it on top of his other hole card.

"Two pairs? Impressive Honey."

"I'm sorry that you didn't win Love." I could tell he was fighting a chuckle, as smug as ever.

I smiled and reached across the table for his seven. "Except that I'm certain that three of a kind smites two pairs." I smiled evilly and flipped my pair of sevens over.

Edward's mouth actually fell open. It would have made for a fabulous photo had my camera been nearby. Not that Edward didn't always take good photos. It just wasn't every day that you got the chance to see Edward's half pout half shocked expression with a gaping jaw. It was a special occasion indeed.

"You're not really going to make me do this are you?" he wondered.

"Yes I am," I informed him, sliding out of my chair and easing myself into his lap. My hands went to his collar and started on the buttons of his shirt. "A deal is a deal. It's not my fault if you made the bet assuming you'd win." I let my hands sweep his chest as I opened his shirt and pushed it off his body. I sighed contentedly. "For a big baby you've got a really nice chest."

"Really Bella, a blindfold?" he questioned.

"Yes really Edward," I mocked. "You have to learn that you can't control everything."

"I don't control _everything._"

"Yes but you wish you did," I concluded. "Now stop your sulking. It will be fun."

"Fine," he agreed reluctantly. "Where should I go Madame Dominatrix?"

"Oh hush," I told him. "To the bed…and keep your complaining down or I'll gag you too."

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Just keep it up Edward and you'll find out. Now get you cute little ass over to the bed."

I slid off his lap and watched him cross the room wearing a pout. I almost felt bad for him. Almost. He was never a good loser in the best of circumstances and I knew this would be difficult for him, but he would enjoy himself. I would see to that.

"Lie down on your stomach Edward," I instructed as I crossed the bedroom to the dresser.

"What are you doing?" he asked sullenly.

"Getting your blindfold." I turned to face him, hiding the silk scarf behind my back. "Now stop being such a baby and relax!"

"I'm trying," he said half-heartedly. I knew it would take a little bit of coaxing to relax him. I crawled across the bed and straddled him, sitting atop his lower back. I wound the scarf around my neck temporarily and began to rub his back with my hands in an effort to soothe his ego.

"Mmmm," he murmured. "That feels nice."

I leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Were you expecting me to torture you?"

"I was just expecting to take you to bed. You're not trying to tell me that you've lost interest in our love making are you?" he wondered sincerely.

"No silly," I whispered. "I'm one hundred and ten percent satisfied with how you love me. I just wanted to enjoy the newness of something." I pulled the scarf from around my neck and leaned forward, sliding it around his head to cover his eyes and tying it snugly behind his head. "I promise I won't hurt you."

*****

**EPOV**

I was uncomfortable without my sight, blind, helpless, vulnerable. It was an odd sensation coupled with my complete trust in Bella. So this was how humans felt under the midnight sky. How tedious.

"You know I hate this," I muttered, my hand coming up to touch the fabric covering my eyes.

"I promise you that if you still hate it when it's all said and done that I will not make you do this again." Her voice sounded oddly sweeter without my sight. Perhaps my ears were working harder at focusing in the absence of my eyes.

"It's just that…"

"I know Edward. Shhhhh," Bella murmured soothingly. "No more talking."

I resigned myself to adjust with my other four senses as Bella's hands encouraged my relaxation. She started with my upper body, kneading and rubbing the knots out of my shoulders and neck. I could feel myself relaxing as her touch tempered my unease. Nothing on Earth could soothe me the way Bella's touch could. Her fingers traced my arms lightly. The sensation was different somehow, as relaxing as it was stimulating, her hands brushing along the curves of my arms and down past my elbows. I sighed softly in response.

Her hands wandered to my back, caressing and stroking every indentation. She knew every part of me by heart. Her touch was barely there as she stroked my sides, a particularly sensitive area fro me, keeping a feathery light pressure just the way she knew I liked it. It made me shudder and she giggled quietly. I knew the exact smile that would be on her lips by the musical laughter she yielded.

"Roll over on to you back Edward," she commanded, climbing off my back suddenly.

"I think you're enjoying this a little too much," I asserted, adjusting my position as requested.

"No talking," she reminded me.

"Well what can I do?" I asked, feeling a bit useless.

"Just enjoy," she breathed. "And get comfortable. You're going to be there for a while." I shifted a little, adjusting the pillow under my head, and relaxed into it more fully. There was movement beside me, Bella getting off the bed I determined by the sound of her feet on the carpet.

"What are you doing?"

"Edward," she cooed, "the point of this is to just let it happen. Stop anticipating and just feel it…and know by the end of this you're going to feel really good." Another soft giggle left her lips. Yes she was definitely enjoying this more than she should.

I felt her small hand lift my foot and then a tugging pressure as she pulled at the lace of my shoe, undoing it and sliding the shoe from my foot. She repeated the same thing with my other foot and then removed my socks. Her hands ran along the tops of my feet and up under my pant legs, teasing my skin with her fingertips almost all the way up to my knees and then back down again.

I heard Bella moving again, climbing onto the bed I assumed when the mattress shifted beneath my feet for a moment. Her weight pushed the bed down on one side of my legs and then the other, and again and again until her weight rested beside my waist. Two tiny hands came to my waistband and fingered the button on my pants open.

She caught me off guard when her warm lips pressed against my navel and I sucked in a big breath of air. It was so strange not to sense her coming towards my body. I was more dependent on my sight than I had realized. I mentally pushed out my boundaries to refocus my senses with an even finer perception. Her breathing changed as she smiled against my skin, proud of herself, and her long silky hair tumbled onto my stomach and splayed across my torso, soft and tickling. Her kisses trailed lower, her hands resting on my hips. I was anxious, still making assumptions about her next move, still caught up in trying to predict the future. It was hard to fix my thoughts in the moment when I knew the pleasure that was to come.

The hands that rested on my hips dug lightly into my flesh, pulling and dragging the fabric of my jeans down my body. I licked my lips in expectancy and lifted my hips from the bed in anticipation of her actions.

"Thank you."

Her soft voice was like a sensual purr that titillated my ears and set the flames of my passion ablaze. My hands found her hair and she pulled back from me abruptly.

"No touching Edward."

I groaned frustratedly.

"Sorry," I murmured insincerely. "It's only natural for me to touch you."

"You'll have your chance later," she assured me, easing my hands out and away from my body gently. She pulled away from my body lazily. I listened carefully to her, trying to place the soft rubbing and shuffling noises. I couldn't tell what she was doing but I resisted asking trying to appreciate the thrill of the surprise.

Her lips came down on my chest planting soft kisses everywhere. They were warmer somehow, more intimate. She moved slowly down my body, dragging her body along mine and creating the most divine friction against my skin. The noises I couldn't place suddenly clicked into place. She'd removed her clothing. I smiled and beat back the urge to gather her in my arms so I could feel her completely pressed up against me, skin to skin. Soft and glossy smooth, her hair fell onto my torso again, teasing my already heated skin just a little bit more.

She wiggled her hips and used her knees to force my legs open. I opened them further and she settled between them, her hands resting lightly on my hips. I knew what would come next but even in knowing I understood that I would not be prepared for the force of what she would make me feel.

Her tongue came out first, licking the length of me. I held my breath as every cell of my body refocused on the blissful sensation she was creating, completely overpowering and all encompassing, intensified by my heightened senses. It moved up and down me, circling and swirling and licking and making me ache for her. I moaned softly, willing her on.

Her mouth closed around me while her tongue enveloped and looped and pressed against my flesh. It was hard not to give in to the wild urges that plagued me. My muscles tensed and fought against my control and my desire to behave the way Bella wanted me to. Her lips moved a little farther along with each movement, taking me further in, teasing and torturing me. My hands, once lax and at ease, fisted the sheets, my fingers pulling and gripping at the cotton under my palms.

Her tiny hand came to my base, her fingers dancing and massaging and working the places her lips and tongue couldn't reach. A loud moan that I could not contain rumbled from my throat. The sounds emanating from her beautiful mouth as it manipulated my body only turned me on further, all the little squeaks and sucking noises that told me she was enjoying her chore, made all the more obvious and attractive with my refined discerning senses.

She matched the pace of her hand with her mouth and moved up and down me skillfully and voraciously. She had no intention of backing down. That had been her plan all along, to pleasure me without holding anything back. I pushed my body to resist her amorous persecution but I was losing the fight. My hips began moving in unison with her movements. I was panting and straining and knew I was approaching the point of no return.

"Bella," I breathed in a hushed strain.

She did not back down.

"Bella," I called as loud as I was able through my ragged breaths.

Still she continued.

I stilled my hips and tried to pull back but she would not let me relax. She wanted me fail so she could win and she knew exactly what I liked. She took me as deep into her mouth as she could, stroking me with abandon and moaning around me. With my already sensitive ears working overtime, her muffled noises were my undoing. I groaned in protest one last time but she would not grant me reprieve.

Time seemed to stop or lose its relevance, measure in pleasure instead duration, filled with sensations so intense that there was no place for me to go but inward. There was only Bella and me. There had never been a touch so erotic or impassioned, never a lover more devoted to her lover's needs and desires. I was lost in sea of overwhelming rapture, teetering precariously on the edge. My emotions and body conflicting and contending, melee, a warfare against an end I no longer wanted to fight. She poured all of her love into her actions and there was no more resistance. My body submitted, acquiescence and surrender. Falling was like deliverance. I was overcome, panting and shuddering, sheets fisted, muscles tense, chest heaving.

Bliss.

Love without bounds.

Heaven.

*****

**BPOV**

I crawled back up his body proud and contented, and peeked under his blindfold. His eyes were closed but I noticed the corners of his mouth turn up in a half smirk.

"I dare you to complain," I whispered snarkily.

He pulled me into his arms and tucked me into the side of his body, still trying to catch his breath.

"Not a single complaint. You were completely right oh wise wife of mine."

"Was it good?" I wondered nervously.

"Bella," he whispered, quirking an eyebrow at me to stress his point, "that was so far beyond good that good is an insult."

I beamed proudly. "Told you so."

"You did," he agreed sincerely. "And you'll forgive my indiscretion?"

"Indiscretion?"

"You just bedded a cheat," he admitted impishly.

"A cheat eh? How exactly did you cheat?"

"My pair of pairs?" he grinned, "was only a single pair."

"As long as you'll forgive my masquerade?" I grinned. "Because you didn't fool me. I had two sevens in my hands. There's so little chance that all four sevens would wind up in play. Besides, you're too smug not to turn your cards over Edward."

"I thought I had you fooled," he admitted.

"Foolish, but not fooled," I giggled.

He feigned abhorrence and then rolled me onto my back, planting his perfect lips on my ear.

"My turn."


End file.
